Car-stake.



H. H. FINN.

CAR STAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9. 1915.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH :n.w/sHlNuroM D. c,

sanrns nnivn n. FINN, or enano, Mains.

CAR-STAKE.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

. Be it known that l, hnNnY H. FINN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Orono, in the county of Penobscot and citate of Maine, have invented certain Improvements in Car-Stakes, ot which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts inthe several figures.

' Before a flat car can be loaded with lumber, railroad ties, telephone poles or similar material, itis necessaryto equip the car with stakes that will hold the load in its proper position on the car.` The usual practice at the'present time is tov insert stakes made of fairly large timber into U-shaped straps or sockets provided on the outer sides of theV V sills of the car. rl`h1s operation is wastetul both ot time and of lumber' and it has,V there- VVtore, been proposed heretofore to equip flat cars Vwith permanent` stakes which would save the time and materialwasted in follewin@l the usualV aractice. rlhese devices i b 7 howeter, have not gone into use to any substantial extent so far as l am advised due, apparently, to the tact that they either are too expensive or complicated to be practical, or that they require too radical changes in the construction of the car.

The present invention aims to devise a car stake which shall be simple in construction; cheap to manufacture; can be readily attached to any ilat car; and shall be thoroughly practical.

rlhe invention will be readily Vunderstood from the following description of one embodiment thereof, reference being made to the a 'companying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view in side elevation ot a car stake constructed in accordance with the Y invention; and Fig. is a vertical, sectional view on the line 2&2, Fig. l.

The device shown in the drawings cornprises a base 2 adapted to be secured to the side of the sill ot a car bymeans of bolts or similar fastening devices, and a stake i which is pivoted to the base 2 by a bolt 5 so that it can swing either into a vertical, op-

p erative position in whichit is shown in full lines, or into a horizontal, inoperative position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. Mounted at one side of and below the pivot 5 is a large stationary lug G which is so positioned that the stake rests on the upper surface of the lug when the stake is in its hori- Speeeation of Letters atent.

Patented Dec. id, MM5..

zontal position, and bears against the end surface of the lug when the stake is in its vertical position. In order to lock the stake in its operative or vertical position a stop Sis pivoted to the base 2 on the side of the stake opposite to the lug G, and is ar anged to be swung into contact with the stake, as shown in Fig. l, or to be moved into the dotted linerposition indicated in Fig. l where it will permit the stake to be swung down into its inoperative position. A small lug l0 limits the downward movement of the stop 8, the weight ol the stop tending to hold it against this lug. rEhe two parts 6 and V8 would hold the car stake in its vertical position without tlie aid of other positioning devices but I prefer also to mount above the stop S another stationary lug 9 where the stake will swing into contact with it when in its operative position so that the lug will coperate with the parts 6 and 8 in giving the stake additional stability.

The dimensions of the parts, of course, will .be proportioned in accordance with the requirements of individual cases but for most purposes it is preferable to employ an extension l2 arranged to telescope within the part et. rlhis extension is provided with a series ot notches li with any one of which a pawl 16, pivoted on the part 4, can engage and thus hold the extension in diiierent positions ot' adjustment with reference to the stake. The notches preferably are made square and the end of the pavwl is squared so that it will prevent the extension from sliding in either direction. r.This pawl also s rves to hold the extension in the stake when it is in its horizontal position. A spring 17 acts on the pawl to hold it normally in engagement with one of the notches 14. A number ot' these devices are secured to each of the side sills of a car. rl`he stake used at the right hand end oi the car should have the lugs 6 and 9 and the stop 8 reversed so that the stake et could swingl to the left instead of moving into its horizontal position. and tnus would not project bevond the end of the car. `When not in use, these stakes are folded down beside the sill oi the car where they are entirely out of the way; but when in use, they are swung up into the position in which the stake 4 is shown in Fig. l and the extension l2 is pulled up to the desired height andheld in this position by the pawl 16. The knob at the upper end of the extension aiiords a convenient means Sil l 2 i 1,163,746 l for fastening together the upper ends ofiany two stakes on opposite sides of the car by gether in this manner. The lugs 6, 9 and l0 obviously can be cast with the base 2 provided it is desiredto use cast metal inV making the device, or these parts can be formed separately and secured to the base plate.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States isz l. In a cai' stake, a base, a stake pivoted on vsaid'base for swinging movement into either a vertical or horizontal position, a stationary lug mounted on said base in position to be engaged by said stake when it isA in an upright position, and a pivoted stop mounted on said base to bear against said stake and hold it against said lug.

2. In a car. stake, a base adapted to be secured to the sill of a car, a stake pivoted on said base for swinging movement into either avertical or horizontal position, a stationary lugon said base at one side of said pivot so positioned that the stake rests upon the upper side of the lugwhen the stake is in its horizontal position and bears against the end of' the lug when the stake is in its vertical position, and a pivoted stop mounted on saidbasey and arranged to bear against the side of said stake opposite said lug or to be moved out of Contact with the stake.

3. In a car stake, a base adapted to be secured to the sill of a car, a stake pivoted on i said base for swinging movement intoeither a vertical or horizontal position, a stationary lug on said base at one side'of Vsaid pivot so positioned that the stake rests uponV the upper side of the lug when the stake is in its v horizontal position and bears against the end of the lug when the stake is in its` vertical position, a pivoted stop mounted ongsaid base and arranged to be moved into or.. out of contact with the side of said stakeV opposite said lug, and asecond lug mounted above said stop in position to be'engaged-by the stake when itis in its vertical position. V

4. In a car stake, a base constructed toV be secured to the sill of a car, a stake pivoted on said base for swinging movement into eitlieravertical or a horizontal position, a stationary lug mounted on said basent one side of and below said pivot in position-toy be engaged by said stake when it. is in an upright position, `a stop pivotally mounted on said basepand arrangedto bemoved 'into' or out of Contact with the side of said stake opposite said lug and operativeto hold said stake against said lug when Ytliefstake lis in its vertical position, and a second lug mounted on said base in position-tobear against the sideVV of the stakeopposite to said first HENRY H iiiNN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, 'py' addressing the Commissioner of Patents,V

. Washington, D. C. l

lug Vat apointabove said pivot Vwlien'tliep'` 

